


when the wolves come out to play

by blackkat



Series: Horoscope Drabbles [32]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Wolves, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-10
Updated: 2019-01-10
Packaged: 2019-10-07 19:12:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17371727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackkat/pseuds/blackkat
Summary: It’s a gateway, but he doesn’t seem to realize that.





	when the wolves come out to play

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Normal Horoscopes on Tumblr:
> 
> Pisces: An abandoned wolf den.

It’s a gateway, but he doesn’t seem to realize that.

Kiba watches the man, head cocked, curious as he stumbles into the old den, breaths ragged, blood trailing down his arm. The drops of it splatter the floor, and Kiba can feel the sudden surge, the attention suddenly paid. An offering, though it doesn’t seem to be intentional. That’s fine though; sometimes people pay the greats price without realizing what they're paying for.

The blond man is cursing quietly, one hand clamped over the wound on his arm, and his eyes scan the inside of the den before he grimaces, shoves himself back in a corner like he’s trying to hide. Kiba can hear other people beyond the den, can smell blood and ash on the wind that echoes the scents the blond man is carrying. Easy enough to guess what happened, and he chuckles as he slips from the deepest parts of the shadow, gathering the bits of himself from the other side and shaping them into a man. A wolf would be easier, but people always tend to scream.

“Hiding?” he asks, and the blond yelps, wrenches around and then curses, head snapping back towards the opening of the den. He looks scared, or maybe angry, and Kiba laughs. He whistles, low and short, and with an annoyed huff Akamaru pulls himself through to this side and trots up to the mouth of the den, flopping down and closing his eyes.

“They can't see past him,” Kiba says, and reaches down to tweak the tip of Akamaru's tail. Akamaru wags it in response, but doesn’t otherwise move, and Kiba grins at the intruder. “He’ll keep everyone away.”

Blue eyes flicker from Kiba to Akamaru and back again, and slowly, warily, the man straightens. “Where the hell did you come from?” he demands. “I thought this place was empty.”

Kiba shrugs. “This place is,” he agrees, “but there's a door.”

The man’s eyes go wide with sudden understanding, and he shoots a sharp, almost accusatory look at the back wall of the den, muttering a curse. “It fucking _figures_ ,” he snaps. “Half the guild on my trail and now I fucking walk into a _netherworld portal_ by _accident_.”

Kiba laughs, not able to help it, and when the man shoots him a glare he grins back, all teeth. “It’s a good hiding place,” he offers.

“Only if you don’t _eat me_ ,” the man mutters, then gives Kiba a narrow, assessing look and demands, “What’s your name?”

Kiba tips his head, considering. The guy’s probably some kind of sorcerer, by the smell of him, and giving a name to someone like that’s pretty dumb. But—interesting, maybe.

“I’ll give you mine if you give me yours,” he offers, and catches the flash of reluctant amusement that buries the pissy look for a moment.

“Deidara,” the man says. “Formerly of the College of Magic in Iwa.”

“Kiba,” Kiba returns. “Of the Inuzuka pack.”

Recognition flickers across Deidara's face, along with something like calculation. “The _Inuzuka_?” he repeats. “Is that what’s on the other side of this place?”

Kiba shrugs. “The Eternal Forest,” he corrects. “The Inuzuka are part of that.” Pauses, looking Deidara over, and offers with a grin, “I can show you.”

Deidara pulls up short, surprise clear. “You’d take _me_ into the Eternal Forest?” he demands, but there's something like excitement in his voice. “A human sorcerer?”

With a snort, Kiba slips closer, leans in and takes a breath of his scent. Not the body-scent, but what’s beyond it—fury and betrayal and indignation, touched with desperation and just a hint of wonder. Then he glances up, tips his head, and says, “I think Akamaru and I can take you, if you try something. Besides, it’s a good place to hide.”

Deidara laughs, full of relief and bitter humor in equal parts. “You can say that again. Akatsuki’s never going to think to look in a netherworld. Probably because most people who go there _die horribly_.”

“Most people who go there don’t have an Inuzuka guide,” Kiba points out. “And I gave you my name, didn’t I?” Hana's going to be pissed at him for that; she had her odds on him giving it to the princess in the east, but she also doesn’t listen when Kiba tries to tell her he doesn’t feel that way about Hinata.

“I gave you mine, too,” Deidara retorts, but the reminder seems to ease his tension a little. He glances from Kiba to the den’s entrance, then takes a breath and says determinedly, “All right, fine. I've always wanted to see the Eternal Forest anyway, and now I’ll get to rub that old bastard Ōnoki’s face in the fact that I saw it first.”

Kiba laughs, because spite is as good a motivation as any. “Let’s go, then,” he says, and Akamaru leaps up from his spot and bounds past Kiba with a bark, very deliberately hip-checking him as he goes. Kiba yelps, the force of it knocking him forward right into Deidara, who staggers but catches him.

“Akamaru!” Kiba protests, feeling his face flush as he tries to untangle himself, and Akamaru laughs a dog-laugh without mercy and slides through to the other side of the gate.

It’s only a faint consolation that Deidara is blushing, too, and his cursing is half-hearted.


End file.
